The present invention relates generally to data storage systems, and in particular to techniques for controlling storage access based on a designated time.
The information technology revolution brings with it an ever increasing need for more storage capacity for business enterprises. It is expected that the average Fortune 1000 company's storage requirement will more than double in the coming years. In addition, growth has brought shortages of skilled persons in the information technology field. These challenges confront many companies facing the need to expand and improve their information technology assets. Increasingly, companies are turning to outsourcing storage management as a method of coping with the need to grow capacity in view of rapidly increasing demand. Storage Service Providers (SSPs) is one such service for providing storage infrastructure management to business enterprises. By subscribing to an SSP, companies can obtain needed storage resources by purchasing the services from the SSP. The SSP owns storage systems, which it uses to provide storage capacity for the users' host systems, as well as provide the storage management services. Users pay for the storage usage and management services based upon the terms of a service level agreement (SLA) made between the user and the SSP.
While certain advantages to present SSP technologies are perceived, opportunities for further improvement exist. For example, according to conventional SSP technology, the SLA between the user and the SSP provides for a single rate charge for a data connection from the host system in the user site to the disk system in the SSP site. However, some SSP users would like to reduce the costs of the data connection and will be willing to accept limitations on access time. For example, users who would like to use the storage for backup purposes do not need a full-time data connection. However, conventional technology does not provide the capability to manage and charge for access to the storage services of an SSP based upon the time of the access. Further, security is an important concern to both the user and the SSP. For the user, this means that valuable business information assets can be protected by restricting access to the data in storage. For the SSP, this means that data integrity is preserved for its customers, and that no user receives access that is not authorized by the terms of the SLA.
What is needed are improved techniques for managing access to storage resources according to an access time.